16n is a MIDI, CV and I2C controller with sixteen faders. It’s entirely open-source - the firmware, electronics, panel designs are all licensed under open source licenses.
It began as a project here by @tehn and @shellfritsch . I offered to add MIDI on a minijack; then things took a turn and, on the way, we added CV and I2C.
Along the way, things also slowed down owing to my commitments. It’s January 2 2019, and I am releasing this damn thing properly.
As of now, all the files you need to make one are publicly available. Your best starting point is the single-page website about it and then the github repository. The Github Wiki is now the home of all documentation, from user manual through to install guide.
It’s a little smaller than a monome grid, but it looks good next to one:
and makes a nice controller for your DAW or Virtual Instruments:
I recommend the websites as a good point of reference for your questions. As a DIY project, it is not particularly complex, and designed to be possible to be assembled by hand, but it’s definitely not a beginner project: it’s all 0805 and SOIC SMD, or through-hole.
Many thanks to @shellfritsch and @bpcmusic for their collaboration, support, and above all patience throughout.
Sorry it took so long.
TALKING ABOUT 16n
I strongly recommend #16nfaderbank as a hashtag if you want to use a hashtag on socialmedia. The more obvious hashtag turns out to be… an already existing namespace, let’s just say.
I WANT ONE BUT I DON’T KNOW HOW TO MAKE ONE
Cool, your enthusiasm is appreciated! However: as per the lines trade rules, please, no discussion of buying/selling in this thread.
So far, there are two threads in Trade for groupbuys:
(world) https://llllllll.co/t/16n-faderbank-group-buys/18672
(uk/eu) https://llllllll.co/t/16n-eu-uk-group-buy-thread/18657
REVISION HISTORY
I’ll try to keep this up-to-dater when things change.
The current version of 16n firmware is 2.0.1 - see the 2.0.1 thread for full details. Hardware compatible with this release is 1.3x and up. It is compatible with 16n-a-likes running a Teensy LC, but it was designed for original-pattern 16ns, so compatibility with derivatives is ‘likely’ rather than guaranteed.
The current version of 16n hardware is 1.34.
This PCB and panel is incompatible with 1.2x layouts. 1.3x layouts can be distinguished by the “cross shaped” standoffs, and the standoffs being M2.5 rather than M2. This is applicable to almost no-one, but I’m just mentioning it anyway.
(Open-source specifics: the CAD files for electronics and panels are licensed as CC-BY-SA 4.0; the code is MIT. What this effectively means for both is you can do what you want with the code/files but you must share anything you do under the same licenses. Which seems reasonable).
CHANGELOG
- 2.0.0 - moves all configuration to web-based editor, and stores it all in EEPROM. Breaking change, but means you’ll never lose your config with a firmware upgrade after this, and makes it easy to adjust/swap configs with out recompiling the software or ever having to use Arduino IDE.
- 1.34 - two tiny but possibly useful updates. Firstly: ResponsiveAnalogRead code has had its sensitivity tweaked, which has solved fader jitter for some people. (Basically - Teensy ADCs are far higher res than Arduino Uno ADCs, so let’s take advantage of that). Secondly, I’ve fixed an issue with the panel DXFs - in correcting the drill size, I used old panel sizes that were just gigantic. The DXFs now have the correct dimensions and drill sizes. The other files - FPDs, drawings - were correct. So you don’t need to upgrade anything unless you feel you need to.
- 1.33 - alter how MIDI/I2C interrupts work. Much less is going on in the interrupts; this should improve stability and MIDI issues, particularly when I2C is in leader/master mode, and is recommended for all faderbank users.
- 1.32 - exactly the same hardware as 1.31. Only changes are to the panel DXFs (fixing a bug with hole sizes), and the firmware (I2C now actually works; extra config flag to invert the board).
